By SCOTT GUTIERREZ, P-I REPORTER

Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, November 30, 2006

A second downtown Bellevue construction site was shut down Thursday after a contractor discovered cracks on a 300-foot tower crane.

Inspectors with the state Department of Labor and Industries, and officials from the city of Bellevue and the contractor, were on site examining the crane on Thursday. It is located at 108th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 10th Street, about seven blocks north of where a 210-foot crane collapsed Nov. 16.

The Hanover Co., which is overseeing the 20-story luxury apartment project, shut down work Thursday morning and sent about 25 workers home.

"They did just what they should do in the interest of safety for the workers and the public both," said Elaine Fischer, spokeswoman for L&I.

Bellevue city spokesman Tim Waters confirmed Friday shortly before 8 a.m. that the crane is in the process of being dismantled.

Motorists in Bellevue should be aware that parts of Northeast 10th Street near the site would be closed, he said.

Bellevue city officials asked L&I to inspect all construction cranes in the area after the most recent downtown accident, which remains under investigation.

Late on Thursday, Scott Lee, a Hanover representative, told reporters that the company was urging residents in nearby apartments to evacuate on a voluntary basis and was offering hotel rooms to those who wanted to relocate.